Although solid state electronic devices dominate many electronic applications, high frequency applications such as microwave communications and radar still take advantage of electron beam devices. Such devices can be configured to provide considerable power amplification at frequencies of up to 100-300 GHz. Typical examples include travelling wave tubes (TWTs) that can be used for satellite communication or for power amplification in radar systems.
Effective design of electron beam devices generally requires determination of beam currents and beam spatial distribution based on applied electric and magnetic fields, as well as the electric and magnetic fields produced by the beam itself. While these calculations can be performed with the assistance of a computer, the calculations are time consuming even with powerful processors. Thus, device designers can be limited in their ability to adequately characterize a selected device design and determine if design implementations perform as intended. Moreover, design variations and alternative designs may prove too compute-intensive to evaluate, and superior designs even in a design space that is otherwise limited may remain unidentified.